The Steward Of God's House - John

 The Companion of the Way

by

H.C. Hewlett

1962

Moody Press

Chicago, Illinois

~ Out of print and in the public domain ~

---

The Steward Of God's House - John

(Revelation 1)

I. THE SETTING -- THE LORD AND HIS CHURCHES

When the aged Apostle John was permitted to suffer banishment to the dreary isle of Patmos, he might well have mused upon the inscrutable dealings of the providence of God. Must he who had known the wonder of being pillowed on the bosom of Christ come to rest his head on that rugged shore? This, indeed, was fellowship with the Lord Jesus, who dwelt of eternal right in the bosom of the Father but said of the days of His ministry in this world, "the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." Yet more than this was embraced in God's will for John, for the time had come for giving through him the book which would complete the canon of Scripture. Seeing that the theme of all of God's Word is God's Christ, it was most fitting that its final part should record the last glimpse of the glorified Saviour given to men in this life ere His coming again. Beyond this glimpse was the unfolding of things to come, and the triumph of the Lamb, but to us in this church age was given the final message from the ascended Lord for our service and testimony. What then would be the nature of this word to the church, and in what character would the Lord manifest Himself to His servant?

John was the sole survivor of the apostolic band. The direct voice of inspiration would soon cease. The church era was well started, and the lips of Paul and of others who had taught the great doctrines of the Church and the churches had long been silent. Local churches had been established in many lands and in their development had already shown the strengths and the weaknesses that would characterize the witness for Christ throughout this present age. In these circumstances it pleased God to reveal His Son once more to John, that through the apostle might be sent to the churches the Lord's mind concerning their progress. Seven churches in proconsular Asia were made recipients of messages that might be termed interim reports, for not only did they unfold that which the Lord saw required approval or censure, but they anticipated the final declaration of His mind at His judgment seat. In the light of these seven letters the churches of Asia, and all others since, would have opportunity to adjust their ways and so live that the day of Christ would involve for them not shame but only rejoicing.

The vision of the Lord Jesus Christ given to John was entirely suited to the purpose of the seven letters. To grasp its meaning more readily, we must remember that the symbolism of the Revelation has its key in the preceding parts of the Scripture. Were our understanding of the Word more spiritual and more penetrative, we would surely find in Scripture itself the solution to the problems of Scripture's last book. The Word of God is a matchless harmony; it is complete; nothing is lacking. Like the sun, it is to be studied in its own light. However welcome may be the help afforded by the research of the historian, the true knowledge of the Revelation belongs to the believer who reads it with a mind saturated with the words and teachings of Holy Writ and with a heart responsive with the obedience of faith.

The language of Revelation 1 to 3 makes obvious allusion to the message regarding Shebna and Eliakim in Isaiah 22:15-25. Shebna was the treasurer of David's house, but because of his pride he was to be replaced by Eliakim. His office placed him over the house and gave him a threefold duty touching the servants of the king. In the morning of each day's toil it was his duty to allot to every man his work and to equip him for it. During the busy hours that followed he would inspect and superintend the labour, and in the evening of the day he would pay the wages of each. For this office Eliakim was called, clothed, and commissioned.

As to his call, he was honored by the Word of the Lord with the title "My servant," which indicated his character in God's sight and pointed to the greater Servant so richly portrayed in Isaiah's prophecies. Eliakim was the son of Hilkiah (i.e., the Lord's portion, the root of Hilkiah being used in the sense of "portion" in Deut. 32:9 -- "the LORD's portion is his people") and foreshadowed the One who was uniquely the Lord's portion, and who where all others failed gave Him all He craved. The name Eliakim (i.e., God sets up) reminds of the prophecy of the Risen One -- "He... set my feet upon a rock." (The word Eliakim includes the root of the verb "set" in this passage in Psalm 40:2). Touching his clothing we read, "I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle" (Isa. 22:21). Now the robe and the girdle remind of the garments in which the Lord Jesus is arrayed in Revelation.

As to Eliakim's commission, God said, "I will commit thy government into his hand: . . . And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open" (Isa. 22:21-22). But upon a stronger shoulder and into a stronger hand God has placed all authority, for "the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isa. 9:6), and the Father has "given all things into his hands" (John 13:3). The words concerning Eliakim are quoted in the letter to Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7. It is Christ who has the key of David and who opens and shuts at His sovereign pleasure. He has also the keys of Hell and of death; He has supreme control over the destinies of all men.

The presentation of Christ in the first three chapters of the Revelation as the treasurer of the letters to the churches. In them we see the steward going on circuit around the churches and giving to each a report on its welfare. The letters all begin with a glimpse of His Person and authority, for all toil and testimony must spring from His bidding and His equipping. To each church He speaks, "I know," and to five of the seven, "I know thy works." He examines the condition of each, comforts or rebukes as is necessary, and makes recommendations for the future. Finally, He promises rewards to the overcomer. Here, then, are exemplified the three phases of the steward's task. It is Christ who appoints to us our work as servants of God and who prepares us for that work. Christ is the Overseer of our toil, and from His hands shall be received such rewards as He shall be pleased to give at the judgment seat.

II. THE REVELATION -- THE HEAVENLY MINISTER

To the Patmos vision we turn to behold the glory of God's steward, and we listen to the words wherewith John recounts his experience of the unveiled presence of the Lord. "I John . . . was in the isle that is called Patmos . . . I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1:9-10). It was a compensating vision which was given him. It has been truly said that "the world gave us Patmos, but God gives us the Spirit." So often has it been demonstrated that amid trial and affliction the believer is made to overcome by the Spirit's ministry of Christ. John heard a great voice, the voice of the First and the Last, bidding him write what he saw to the seven churches, each of which was named by the speaker. So John proceeds.

"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle" (Rev. 1:12-13). Each candlestick represented a church, as the Lord stated, and each was golden, because set up by God Himself. How it must have cheered John's heart as he thought of those churches so dear to him, the first of which he had long lived with, to see the value God put upon them! In spite of all their failure they were "of him, and through him, and to him." In their midst was none other than the Lord Jesus. His presence was the secret of their continuance, even as with the churches of every century and of today. But for that faithful presence and His untiring ministry, none could maintain testimony in this dark scene.

"One like unto the Son of man." Often had John heard the Lord speak of Himself by this title of His true humanity, which proclaimed Him to be the One in whom every noble and precious trait proper to manhood found full and harmonious expression. Because of His humanity He was the appointed judge, even as He spoke, "The Father . . . hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man" (John 5:26-27). In John's vision title stresses particularly the experience in manhood of the One whom he beheld in such majesty. Having served the will of God in the conditions normal to human life, sin apart, and being made "perfect through sufferings," He is an assessor who has known every circumstance of trial which a holy being could experience. Perfect in His understanding of His people's path, of their service, and of their needs. He is still the Son of man. His eyes are as a flame of fire, but they are human eyes; His voice is as the sound of many waters, but it is a human voice; His feet are like unto fine brass, but they are human feet.

The garment and the girdle tell of the great glory of person which the Lord Jesus brings to His office as steward. It is noteworthy that John should see them and write of them, for he it was who described in John 13 the scene where the Lord had exchanged His outer garments for the girdle in order that He might wash the disciple's feet. The grace and humility of the upper room pictured most suggestively the facts of the Lord's stoop from heaven. Then He had laid aside His vestments of majesty, the splendor which had always surrounded Him, and condescended to take the servant's form that He might carry out the lowly ministry linked with the girdle. But in Patmos John beheld the Lord wearing both garment and girdle together. Once more He was clothed in majesty, having been glorified with the glory which He had with the Father before the world was, but He nevertheless remained the gracious minister to the needs of men. Moreover the position of the girdle claims attention. It might be worn around the loins, as befitting toil in the harvest fields of earth, or around the heart, as suited to the service of the sanctuary. It was the latter which John saw, for though the Lord retained the servant's form, His toil on earth in weariness and suffering was completed, and in its place was the tranquil ministry of His glorified state.

The sublime description of Christ in Revelation 1:14-16 comprises seven distinct glimpses of His person, which are given in two groups of three and four respectively. That the feet should be mentioned immediately after the eyes, and before the voice and the right hand, indicates a purposive arrangement of John's subject matter. The first group tells of the holiness which ever pertains to Christ's dealings with His people in the witness for Him, for never for a moment can one act on His part be at variance with His essential, eternal purity. He is not only holy, but holiness itself. Hence all that is contrary to His nature is unholy. Because He changes not, there can be neither variation of His character, nor relaxing of His standards for His people. In both Testaments the word is "be ye holy; for I am holy," and this whether as in Israel's case, surrounded by the excesses of heathendom, or, as in our case, amid the disdain of God and the consequent decline of morals so painfully obvious in this present day. The second group tells of Christ's complete sufficiency to supply everything His people require for their life and witness. The unveiling of His person is always God's answer to our need. For every fresh realization of our own inadequacy God has a fresh revealing of the inexhaustible fullness of Christ.

"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace" (Rev. 1:14-15). In the snow-white head we see holiness ruling, in the flaming eyes holiness searching, and in the burning feet holiness moving. His head is white, for His rule is marked by perfect purity. We are His bondmen, over whom He has right of complete dominion, but the basic principle of His government is holiness, even as Isaiah learned when he saw His glory and heard the adoration of the seraphim. If we would see His power put forth in blessing in our lives, then must we yield to His holy will the unreserved submission which is prepared for entire adjustment to the claims of His character. Holiness is imperative to blessing. Is it a vision of Himself which we crave? Then the Word speaks: "Follow . . . holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Is it service in which we would glorify Him? Then the Word speaks: "Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa. 52:11). Is it prayer in which we fail? Again the Word speaks: "I will . . . that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands" (I Tim. 2:8).

"His eyes were as a flame of fire." We cannot escape their penetrating gaze. The depths of the heart lie bare to the solemn inspection. No motive is missed, and no secret thing is overlooked. To Thyatira the Lord sent the message: "These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire . . . I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts" (Rev. 2:18, 23). Those eyes are still upon us today, as they shall be at His judgment seat.

Then, then, I feel that He,
(Remembered or forgot),
The Lord is never far from me,
Though I perceive it not.

In darkness as in light,
Hidden alike from view,
I sleep, I wake, as in His sight,
Who looks all nature through.

From the dim hour of birth,
Through every changing state,
Of mortal pilgrimage on earth,
Till its appointed date,

All that I am, have been,
All that I yet may be,
He sees at once, as He hath seen,
And shall for ever see.

How shall I meet His eyes?
Mine on the Cross I cast,
And own my life a Saviour's prize,
Mercy from first to last.

What things does He see in us -- the unclean thought, the eye not turned away, the secret grudge, the jealousy of another's blessing, the unwarranted suspicious of another's motives, the greed for mammon, the proud ambition? These, and much else hidden from men under the guise of an outward rectitude, must be judged before the gaze of Christ if we are to know "years of the right hand of the most High."

"His feet are like fine brass." Brass is the symbol of judgment, as it is so often in Scripture. When He moves in the midst of His churches to carry out His discipline, His steps are holy. He has not one standard for His foes and another for His friends. It is the same holiness which tests all and judges all. To Ephesus He said, "These things saith he... who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks . . . Repent . . . or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place" (Rev. 2:1, 5). Yet even in these activities, His love and patience are fully manifested, and those glowing feet pause in their stately tread that He may stand at the door of a heart and plead for the fellowship which has been denied Him. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20).

"And his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength" (Rev. 1:15-16). Nowhere in Patmos would John be far from the surges of the Agean Sea, but they were all hushed by this glorious voice. Its sound is compared in Scripture to the pealing of thunder: "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth" (Psa. 29:3) (see Job 37:5), and to the voice of a multitude (Dan. 10:6). But when it speaks peace to the soul it is as heavenly music.

Thy voice, like great waters -- how calmly our soul
Shall hear in the glory its deep waters roll!

But here and now it sounds above the restless waves of this world's commotion and stills the heart to rest.

It is in this voice that first we find in this passage the sufficiency of Christ, for embraced within its flow is every stream of truth that comes from the heart of God. The voices of lawgiver, of psalmist, and of prophet, all gave precious words from the one eternal fount, but all their message, and far more, is conveyed by the voice of the Lord Himself. Even so are we taught in the opening verses of the Epistle to the Hebrews that the days of partial revelation are ended, in that God has spoken to us by His Son. He is the ultimate Messenger of God, even as He is all the Message. We listen in all our variety of need to the voice of Christ and find therein no lack of supply, but rather that which is given directly for our own heart. As the many waters blend in perfect harmony of sound, so the streams of truth in the Person and work of Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the life.

"And he had in his right hand seven stars." The right hand speaks of power. As Moses and the children of Israel by the shore of the Red Sea sang to their God, "Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power," so with even deeper meaning we acclaim the triumph of Christ's journey through the sea of death to the shore of resurrection and "the saving strength of his right hand." The seven stars were the angels (the messengers) of the seven churches. In the world's darkness each church was a candlestick; each person who was given responsibility within a church was a star. As the star has its shining, so the servant of Christ and of the church has his ministry. Each star was held in the Lord's right hand. Each servant, whatever his service, was safe in His care, safe within a clasp both possessive and protective, which was at once omnipotent in its strength and exquisite in its gentleness.

"And out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword." It is the Word of God which is so described as proceeded from the mouth of its Author -- the Word in all its penetrating and discriminating power and in all its finality of authority (cf. Heb. 4:12). To Pergamos the Lord said, "These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; . . . I . . . will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev. 2:12, 16). With the sharp sword He will smite the nations at His coming in glory (Rev. 19:15), but first it must deal with evil among His own people. John saw the sword proceeding out of His mouth. It was not that it left the lips of Christ to lie inert, as it were, upon the ground, but that it streamed ceaselessly from Him. Thus was pictured one of Scripture's most profound facts, i.e., that the Word of God, while complete and given once for all, is presented as being ever freshly spoken from the heart of God to the heart of man. It is the living Word, which has been aptly described as being "contemporaneous with every generation of believers." The words of men partake of the frailty of their authors and pass away as they do, but the Word of God is instinct with His timeless life.

"And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." In these words the all-sufficiency of Christ blazes out in full vigor. As the sun in the sky to the physical creation, so is the face of Christ to His redeemed ones. As this earth derives all its light, its heat and its energy from the sun, so in the spiritual realm we derive all from the exalted Saviour. On the holy mount His face shone as the sun; in the Day of the Lord, to those who fear His name, He shall arise as "the sun of righteousness... with healing in his wings" (Mal. 4:2). He is our Sun, and we may well pray --

Oh, may no earth-born cloud arise,
To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes!

In John's vision there was no cloud. The glory of God poured forth its full radiance from that blessed face. The churches were candlesticks, and their messengers were stars -- all for the world's night, but the Lord was the Sun whose gladdening light shone upon "the children of light, and the children of the day" (I Thess. 5:5).

III. THE BLESSING -- THE ACCOLADE OF THE PIERCED HAND

"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not" (Rev. 1:17). The glory was more than John could bear. He was not yet in the resurrection body, in which he would be at home in presence of such majesty. Overwhelmed by the vision, he fell at Christ's feet as if dead. Then there touched him the right hand that sways the destinies of the universe, and he felt it resting upon him in all its comforting grace and sustaining strength. Yet it was a human hand, one that long before in weakness had rested in a mother's tender embrace, one that had known the lowly toil of a carpenter's shop and had provided for others the necessities of life. It, too, had known the mystery of pain; through its palm a nail had bound Him to the tree. Upon the scars in His hands the wondering gaze of John had rested in that days when, risen from the dead, the Lord had said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself."

The touch of His hand brought great cheer to the aged apostle. It was not only that the Lord should bend in grace over His prostrate servant and raise him in life and strength. Others had felt His touch in the days of His humiliation and even after His resurrection, but none had known it in the exercise of its heavenly rule. Thus did John receive the accolade of the Lord of all. Upon their faithful followers, the kings of this world bestow knighthood with the touch of the naked sword, the symbol of warfare, but the Sovereign of the eternal throne gives His honor with the touch of His pierced hand, the symbol of victory already won. Then through the apostle's heart there swept the music of the many waters as Christ spoke His words of peace. John need not fear. It was for the culmination of his life's service that the Lord had appeared unto him, and that He might equip and commission him for the task that awaited. "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter."

"I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:17-18).

The Lord Jesus is the first and the last, the eternal One whose being precedes all creature existence, and whose glory is all its goal.

He is the One who has "life in Himself," not derived but His eternally.

He is the inexhaustible fount of life for His people in all their frailty.

He is the One who became dead.

As John heard those words and recalled his memories of Calvary, the spear, and the wounded side, he must have marveled that the Living One could ever taste death. But that death was past, and the crucified One was alive for evermore, and John was bidden to look up and see the triumph of the resurrection in the person of his Lord.

Thus for John also was there the realization of the perpetual presence. John was the last to whom Christ revealed Himself in such fashion, but the fact of the presence is unchanged. For us as we serve here until the Lord comes, there is neither a vision of His glory to these eyes, nor His touch upon these bodies of humiliation. Nevertheless to faith there must ever be visible that wonderful face, and by faith there must ever be heard that voice whose matchless harmonies enthrall the soul, and whose words of cheer hush the sighing of the heart and awaken the song of praise. And faith must feel in every Patmos the invigorating touch of that hand, so gentle and yet so strong, the hand adorned with its nailprint, and in whose care we and all our service are safe. So shall we in our day, amid all the claims of life "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."

Back to The Companion Of The Way TOC

The God Of Soldiers

The God Of Soldiers

On a cool, quiet January morning, Corporal Rick Garrett was shaving in the shower trailer at Camp Victory, Iraq. Wrapped in a towel and enjoying the energy he felt from a good night's sleep, he began thinking about the months he had left overseas.

Many questions filled his mind: Would the war get even bloodier? Would any of his buddies be killed? Would he do his duty well? In fact, would he even survive? Then another question - it was a prayer, really - formed itself in his mind: "God, are you able to protect me over here?"

The words had just become a conscious thought when Corporal Garrett heard a deafening crash. It was the sound of the trailer door shattering. An RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) had pierced the door and was now flying through the middle of the trailer. In an instant, the projectile flew past Corporal Garrett, lightly creasing his stomach en route, and embedded itself in the trailer wall opposite the door. 

For a moment, Garrett was frozen in shock, expecting the RPG to explode. But it did not. Realizing he might have a moment to escape, the corporal ran to the gaping hole where the door had been and hurled himself through it to the ground several feet below. Jumping up as quickly as he could, he sprinted from the trailer while shouting a warning to those in the nearby trailers. Dozens of soldiers braced themselves for an explosion. Yet nothing happened. The RPG never exploded. It was a dud.

Garrett picked himself up from the ground and began laughing with relief. As a crowd gathered and began congratulating him for his luck, he remembered the question he had been asking God: "Can you protect me over here?" It seemed that God had answered.

In case the message hadn't been clear enough, though, there was something more. When the ordinance specialists examined the unexploded RPG, they found a message had been scratched onto it. This was not uncommon. Insurgents often painted or scratched some message on the missiles they fired as an added insult to their American enemy.

But the message on this particular missile had a special meaning to Corporal Garrett. It read simply, "From the God of the American Soldiers." Apparently, an insurgent had intended the message as a cruel insult. Corporal Garrett knew better. Whatever the insurgents meant to say, he knew that his God was saying in dramatic terms, "Yes, I can protect you over here. For I am indeed, 'the God of the American Soldiers.'"

(Taken from 'American Heroes' by Stephen Mansfield.)

Jerry's Notes: I used this story for a devotion on January 23rd/08 at the Mission. The verses I used to show that God is no respecter of persons and will look out for His people, wherever we may be, were:

God watched over Abram, even though he did not know where God was leading him:

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Promise to protect and provide for Abram:

Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Promise to protect and safely keep Jacob:

Genesis 28:15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

Promises to Joshua and the nation of Israel:

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:1-2 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

And we find the promise to Joshua quoted in the New Testament to all of God's people today:

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Praise the Lord for His loving care of His children!

The Strength Of The Toiler - Paul

 The Companion of the Way

by

H.C. Hewlett

1962

Moody Press

Chicago, Illinois

~ Out of print and in the public domain ~

---

The Strength Of The Toiler - Paul

(Acts 26)

The path of testimony which Paul trod for so many years began with the experience wherewith that of Stephen ended, with the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. Not only was the Lord pleased to answer the martyr's prayer by the conversion of one implicated in his death, but He raised up this very man to carry on and to amplify, both by his preaching and by his writings, the witness to Christ in glory. While Paul spent his days in the proclamation of this grand theme, there was given to him on a number of occasions such a special realization of the Lord's nearness that, in this also, he was Stephen's spiritual heir. Taken in sequence, these present a rich unfolding of the great truths of the unchanging presence.


The SATISFYING Presence (Acts 26)

"At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; . . . Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:13-19).

Three times in the Acts the record of Paul's conversion is given, two of these being in his own words. The last account is quoted because of the express words of the Lord Jesus, "I have appeared unto thee." Few men have ever hated the name of Jesus and the disciples of Jesus so fiercely as did the brilliant young Pharisee of Tarsus. His own confession is that he was "exceedingly mad against them." Intent on persecution, he was journeying to Damascus, when he was arrested by the shining of a light from heaven surpassing the brightness of the noonday sun. He has told us little of what he saw in that moment when the rays of glory from Christ's face shone upon him. He did not speak of it: "Am I not an apostle? . . . have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?" (I Cor. 9:1). However the record is given largely in the impact of the vision upon his subsequent life.

While Paul lay prostrate, a voice from the intense light asked him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" Then the voice compared him to the ox that kicks back against the goad that would urge it forward. Had Paul been fighting inwardly against the accusings of conscience, and had the radiant face of Stephen and the grace of his dying words been often in his memory, challenging him to search out these things? Gazing upward, and realizing at once that he beheld the God of his fathers, for none else could bear such sublime majesty, he addressed Him as Lord. Trembling at the charge of persecuting Him, he asked, "Who art thou, Lord?" Was it the sight of manhood, even in that glory, that also drew from him the question? Then there came the words that shattered all his pride and obstinacy, words whose implications surely searched him hour after hour during the three long, sightless days that followed (Acts 9:9): "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." The hated Nazarene was the Lord of glory; the despised Jesus was the long-awaited Christ; the hunted sufferers were the saints of God.

From that moment Paul was the willing captive of the Saviour's love. His further words, "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10) became the keynote of his life. He gave himself to be Christ's bondslave, utterly and forever. He had set out that morning with gifts of persons likely to make him an idol of his people, and with the garlands of earth's glory thick upon him. In that

heavenly sunshine

these poor things withered and died, and henceforth nothing was of value to him in comparison with that face which he had seen, bright with the majesty of the Godhead and beautiful with eternal love. In later years he wrote of it to the Philippians: "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." And if we venture to ask: "Were you not precipitate in your renunciation, brother Paul? Was it not just your impetuosity of eager youth?" he replies, "I count (i.e., I still count, after all these years of toil and privation) all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:7-8). His soul was satisfied indeed.

Marvel not that Christ in glory
All my inmost heart hath won,
Not a star to cheer my darkness
But a Light beyond the sun.

The SOVEREIGN Presence (Acts 22)

"And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles" (Acts 22:17-21).

It was Paul's first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, and the Lord appeared unto him in a trance to direct him away from the city and send him to the Gentiles. Paul pleaded that he should be permitted to stay, and advanced the most laudable reasons for this. He had been a leader in the persecution of the believers. Was it not then most fitting that he should take his place publicly as a disciple where once he had "made havock of the church?" Again, there was his share in the death of Stephen, whose memory was so sadly dear to him. Ought he not by his testimony to make what amends might be possible for that grievous wrong? Ought he not to honor the Lord Jesus by confessing His name in the city where He had been crucified? Not only so, but there burned in his heart that love to his erring people of Israel which was later to find expression in the words, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:3).

These were in themselves entirely worthy motives, but the will of Christ must take

precedence over the noblest choices

of the soul. Christ's presence will not be the constant realization of the heart unless His sovereignty be recognized and unless He be owned as Lord of the life and all its relationships. His will makes no mistakes but decrees all with unfailing love and unerring wisdom. He sees the end from the beginning and knows the purpose of every step in the path of His servant which may seem perplexing to human eyes.

It was thus with the service of Paul. He had been told at his conversion that he was to be a witness to all men, and to the Gentiles, but little could he have foreseen either then or in the visit to the Gentiles. Ahead lay the mighty ministry of his missionary journeys, wherein, for example, "all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10). Ahead lay the planting of those lines of churches in Asia and Greece. Ahead lay the writing of those letters in which the doctrines of the Gospel and of the Church should be embodied, even to such amazing revelations as those to the saints at Ephesus. Beyond all these, but the result of them, was the impact which Paul was to make on the centuries to come. Today we owe an incalculable debt to him and to the Lord's dealing in his life.

The SUSTAINING Presence (Acts 18)

"Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9-10). At Corinth the apostle met with much opposition and distress. There was the pain of the break with the Jews. To his witness to them that Jesus was the Christ they had responded with blasphemy, and he had left the synagogue. Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue believed, and all his house with him, but there was no abating of the relentless hostility of the Jews. Again, there was the constant problem of the Corinthian character, which led finally to the heartache of the apostle in his letters to the fickle and loose-living believers in that city. Just how he felt as he gave himself to win the Corinthians for Christ is seen in his words, "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (I Cor. 2:3). From a natural viewpoint there was much to discourage, and he might well fear that the hatred of the Jews would lead to some outrage like the stoning in Lystra.

In a night vision the Lord drew near to His tried servant and spoke those words of cheer which so often came from His lips, "Be not afraid." These words had been addressed to Jairus in the depth of his sorrow and to the terrified disciples when He walked across the sea to their help. These words were to be heavenly music to John in his exile in Patmos. To Paul they came as

rich encouragement to continue

his witness to the Corinthians. The secret of the Lord's message to him lay in the accompanying assurance of the perpetual presence, "I am with thee." The Lord's interest in Corinth lay not in its vast commercial empire and in its wealth, but in the believers, and especially in the despised man named Paul. This man might indeed be weak in bodily presence, and in speech of no account to Grecian reckoning but he was the vessel chosen of Christ to bring salvation to that place.

No hurt should come to him from any man. No hand would be permitted to hurl a stone at him; no rod would be uplifted to leave its scar upon his back. The omnipotent presence would be his bodyguard to protect him from every ill. His fears were dispelled. Christ was his shield and his salvation. Later there was an uproar in the city, for the Jews took Paul before the tribunal of Gallio, the Roman governor, but Gallio indignantly dismissed both of them and their complaint, and the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and thrashed him there and then. Through all of this Paul was preserved unscathed, and he remained a good while in Corinth, until the time came for him to leave Greece. The Lord had much people in that city. Populous in itself, Corinth was strategically placed, with access to the Aegean and Adriatic seas. Through Corinth there flowed a constant stream of trade. The testimony for Christ was thus calculated to be carried far and wide by those who would come to Corinth, hear the message, and take it to their homes.

The SUCCOURING Presence (Acts 23)

"And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle. And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome" (Acts 23:10-11). It was an occasion of peculiar difficulty for Paul. He had come to Jerusalem -- though warned as to this (Acts 20:23; 21:4, 11), bringing to the believers the bounty of the Gentile churches, and with it that deep burden of love for his nation which ever characterized him. Nevertheless, nothing seemed to go as he might have wished. Though unto the Jews he became a Jew, that he might gain the Jews, and to them that were under the law, that he might gain those that were under the law (see I Cor. 9:20), he met with grave trouble. Rescued from imminent death by the intervention of the Roman garrison, he appeared before the Jewish council, but was removed by the soldiers lest he should have been killed in the strife between Pharisees and Sadducees. He had gone far to meet the clamor against him, even reasserting for the moment his old life with the Pharisees, but to no avail.

In the darkness of the night following, a sad and weary man lay in the castle. From the Lord's words to him, "Be of good cheer," it seems that he was disconsolate and disappointed. Perhaps with his sensitive heart, he was also reproaching himself for the scenes which had taken place. Which of us has not known at least a little of the sting of self-reproach when we have searched ourselves, seeking reason for circumstances of difficulty and discouragement?

It was then that the Lord stood by him, the Lord who knew all the devotedness of Paul's heart, and prized dearly his life of service and suffering. With words reminiscent of scenes in His earthly path in which He had spoken in like fashion to other needy hearts

ministered His comfort

afresh. The paralytic lying helplessly at the feet of Jesus, the woman who touched the hem of His garment, the disciples on the lake, and again on the way to Gethsemane, had all heard those gracious words (Matt. 9:2, 22; 14:27; John 16:33). They had all known the peace given by that voice, for "when he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble?" (Job 34:29).

"Thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem." It was the Master's own appraisal of what lay deepest in the longing of His servant. Amidst all the strange events of Paul's visit to Jerusalem had run the golden thread of his witness to the Lord Jesus. None who heard him could doubt his wholehearted allegiance to his Saviour and his conviction of the greatness of His Person and of His work. But Paul's service was not yet finished. His desire to go to Rome (see Acts 19:21) was to be granted, even though the manner of its fulfillment was hidden from his sight. In the seat of earth's power, and even before the proud Caesar, the ambassador of the enthroned Christ must bear his witness to the One before whom even kings must bow, and whom earthly monarchs need as Saviour as truly as do other men. There "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" would stand, and there would he proclaim the blessed name. The conspiracy of the Jews at Jerusalem, the lonely years at Caesarea, and the shipwreck on Malta, were all alike in the permissive will of God, but were not allowed to frustrate the promise. The Lord brought Paul to Rome by ways which he knew not. To human eyes the path must have seemed mysterious, but all along the way the sacred presence went also.

The SOLITARY Presence (II Tim. 4)

"At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (II Tim. 4:16-18). The apostle was in prison for the last time. His course was finished, and the time of his departure was at hand. Very soon he was to be "with Christ; which is far better." Already he had stood before Nero and in the words quoted above, he described that first trial. Greatly he felt the loneliness of that scene. Asian brethren were turned away from him (II Tim. 1:15) and that Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world (II Tim. 4:10), but that all forsook him. Not one friend could be found to stand beside the man who had experienced so much in suffering for the sake of his brethren. He wrote, "Only Luke is with me" -- Luke, the dear companion of his journeys, who was content in a self-effacing ministry of attendance on the apostle. Yet in Paul's loneliness there was no bitterness, only love. As the Lord had prayed for those who nailed Him to the Cross, and as Stephen in like manner prayed for his murderers, so Paul prayed for those who had deserted him.

We look back wonderingly to that trial, and try to picture in our thoughts the meeting of Paul and Nero. There they faced each other -- earth's best and earth's worst, the saint of blameless life and the monster of foulest sin. Even Nero was one for whom Christ died, and to whom the exceeding goodness of God willed to present the message of salvation. How great must be the guilt of that man with his load of fearful vice, with his hounding to death of the Christians, and with his rejection of the Christ of the Gospel!

Alone, and yet not alone!

"Notwithstanding," said Paul, "the Lord stood with me." It was a solitary presence, but it was all-compensating. Christ had been with him through all his years, and He did not fail His servant in his last weariness. Indeed, all the characteristics of His nearness to Paul in earlier days were gathered up in this final scene. It was a sustaining presence, for the Apostle said, "[He] strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known." It was a succouring presence, for he said: "I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." It was a sovereign presence, for his heart was at rest in this certainty: "The Lord shall deliver me . . . and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom." Then it was a satisfying presence, for he concluded his narrative with the last doxology of his writings, the glad tribute of a worshiping heart -- "To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen"

Once more Paul's voice was heard. The closing greetings were to be added to his letter to the son in the faith who was so dear to him. What better thing could he wish than that which he, Paul, had known and proved so long? So he gave his last message, "The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen." Christ had been sufficient for Paul. He would be so for Timothy. He is so for us today.

Chapter 12 - THE STEWARD OF GOD'S HOUSE - Revelation 1 - John

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The Face That Welcomed - Stephen

 The Companion of the Way

by

H.C. Hewlett

1962

Moody Press

Chicago, Illinois

~ Out of print and in the public domain ~

---

The Face That Welcomed - Stephen

(Acts 7)

I. THE SETTING -- THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERING

The triumph of Stephen was the first great crisis in the history of the Church. For Israel, too, it was a crisis, for in the death of the first Christian martyr the nation's probation ceased. Even after the cry of apostasy, "We have no king but Caesar," and that bitter taunt, "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him," the Divine patience waited long. The Messiah had been scorned in the days of His flesh. When He was by the witness of the Spirit presented to the nation as the ascended One, who had been made both Lord and Christ, whom God had exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins, the witness of the Spirit was likewise scorned. The man who spoke to the Jewish council with "face as it had been the face of an angel" was hurried to death by men convicted but unrepentant. Then God began to display His secret purpose to bring Gentiles along with Jews into the Church. The Gospel was carried far and wide -- to Samaria, to Antioch, and to the ends of the earth, and the guilty nation was given over to the judgment that resulted in the destruction of the city and the temple in A.D. 70.

But the martyrdom of Stephen was a crisis for the Church, for the heavenly outcalling acquired a deeper fellowship with Christ. In the stoning of Stephen, the Church tasted of the cup of its Lord's suffering unto death, and was despised and rejected of men as He had been. The Lord Jesus suffered "without the gate," in the place of reproach and dishonor; Stephen was "cast... out of the city," and stoned. Thus began the long procession of witnesses that has continued unto this day. Some of its faces are in a measure familiar to us. We know of Stephen and Paul, of Polycarp, or Perpetua and Felicitas, of Tyndale, of Ridley and Latimer, of Huss, of John and Betty Stam, and of others whose sufferings and death have been inscribed in the annals of men. But for the most part the witnesses are unknown to us. Yet every life laid down for Christ's sake was precious in the eyes of the Lord, and every name is written with honor in the Book of Life. By and by we shall meet these dear brethren and sisters in the family of God, and with them we shall extol the grace that was sufficient for all. The Lord who succored Stephen was their Lord, too. Not one of them was forsaken of Him, but His presence was with them all, where the stones fell, or the sword descended, or the fire burned, or in the Colosseum, or amid Alpine snows, or in Siberian wastes.

We can scarcely read the account of Stephen's experience before the council without seeing afresh the Lord Jesus Himself standing before that same tribunal. The martyr was accused by false witnesses of violent words against the holy place. "We have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us" (Acts 6:14). The Lord was charged by lying lips, "This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days" (Matt. 26:61). To this charge the Lord answered nothing, even as the prophet had predicted: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isa. 53:7). But to the words of the high priest, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God," He gave answer, "Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."

In Stephen's case there was reply at considerable length to the question of the high priest, "Are these things so?" (Acts 7:1), for it was his task finally to arraign Israel's leaders with their crime in the murder of the Messiah. When their rage exceeded all restraint, he likewise bore testimony to the glory of the Son of man. To the Lord's answer the high priest gave the terrible response, "He hath spoken blasphemy," and the council said, "He is guilty of death." The fatal decision was made; they would listen to no further word from His lips. At Stephen's proclamation concerning the Son of man, "they... stopped their ears." Cut to the heart by his defense, they could not bear to hear that which reminded them of the solemn declaration by the Lord Jesus.

Strange it was that the council should be concerned about the reports that Stephen had said that "this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place," if He were, as they claimed, still in death. The very words of the charge betrayed the uneasiness of the Jews touching the preaching by the followers of Jesus that He was alive from the dead. The chief priests knew full well the report of the guards who had fled from the tomb. They knew also that the explanation that the guards had slept was a lie. Unable to account for the empty tomb and the courage of the disciples, they silenced their doubts by renewed action against the preachers of the Gospel.

II. THE REVELATION -- THE HEAVENLY VISION

"When they heard these things, they were cut to their heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:54-56). Then, as always when He dwells ungrieved in the believer, the Holy Spirit so ministered the compensations of God to Stephen that he, too, was more than conqueror. The fury of earth was met by the opening of Heaven, and the loneliness of his position by vision of his Lord. To Stephen, as to Paul and to John, it was given to see the glorified Lord with mortal eyes. To all others it has been given to see Him only by faith, but such is the Spirit's delight to reveal Christ to His people that though they are at times in heaviness through manifold temptations, yet they love the One whom they have not seen and, believing in Him, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

In that hour Stephen's gaze was turned upward to Heaven and home, and was not disappointed. Since the ascension of the Lord Jesus, Heaven had been more than ever home to the people of God. In all ages they had desired "a better country, that is, an heavenly," but now the One who had lived on earth those thirty-three years of purity and grace, had endured for their sakes the shameful Cross, and had risen again from the dead, had passed "within the veil." In its love He dwelt, and He had taken their hearts with Him. His home was forever theirs. Before He died, He had assured them, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." They looked for Him, and could be satisfied only with Him. Even if they were called to pass through death, it was only "to be with Christ; which is far better."

And now the heavens were opened, as they had been to the Lord Jesus at His baptism at Jordan. The realms of light disclosed their approval of that which met their gaze on earth, first (for His is ever the pre-eminence) of the Beloved Son and then of the servant who confessed Him so faithfully. Only in Him and in His people can Heaven delight, but its delight is real, pure, and unashamed.

Looking stedfastly into those bright scenes, Stephen saw the glory of God. He had commenced his defense before the council by reminding his hearers that the God of glory had appeared to their father Abraham. This was the true meaning of their history, and it was this that made them a separate people on earth. The gods of the nations were vanity; the God of Abraham was the God of glory. Whenever the children of Abraham had been true to their calling and their heritage, they had rejoiced in His majesty. None of them knew Him better than did Moses. He had seen His glory in the burning bush, in the deliverance from Egypt, and upon Sinai, but still his prayer rose up: "I beseech thee, shew me thy glory" (Exo. 33:18). David spoke of the God of glory (Psa. 29:3) and looked to the day when the everlasting doors should be lifted up that the King of glory might enter in (Psa. 24:7). Moses had come down from the mount with rays of that glory lingering on his face, and even Stephen's judges saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. Gazing into the source of the light that lit his face, Stephen saw the glory that Abraham had seen and, moreover, in the heart of its radiance at the right hand of God he saw "Jesus standing."

Ere the Lord had gone to the throne, He had spoken His sure word of promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). "Alway," i.e., "though all the days" -- what could more clearly set forth the perpetual presence? But Stephen was given even more than the token of the presence. He learned its climax, that the One who companied with His saints and with Him would bring their path to its triumphant goal with a vision of His face and a welcome to His side. Upon the martyr the vision was bestowed before his eyes closed on scenes here, that he might tell us what waits the gaze of all who die in faith. Surely that face of light was bent down upon him and poured its love upon him, for it was to the Lord Jesus that he addressed his dying words and, confident in Him, he fell asleep.

"Jesus standing." That is not to be read as contradiction of the statement that "He . . . sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). Both positions picture profound truths, and both give aspects of His ascension life which exist concurrently. In relation to His finished work on earth and to the exercise of His sovereignty, He is viewed as seated. In relation to His unfinished work in Heaven, that gracious ministry which He undertakes for us now, He is viewed as standing. He remained "this same Jesus." The glory of the throne had not changed His heart toward His own. As He had ever been to them -- tender, compassionate, understanding, and true, so He was still. As in love He had toiled for them on earth, so in Heaven would He minister to their need in the same love.

With his eyes fixed on Jesus, Stephen bore testimony to that which he saw and named his Lord by that title which Christ's own lips had so often used. "I see... the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." The reference was obviously Messianic, for, as we have noted, it was in accord with the Lord's own words, "the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power." It testified that the despised Jesus was actually the Son of Man of Daniel's vision, who would come with the clouds of heaven (Dan. 7:13), that He had reached the height of absolute power, and that nought could hinder the fulfillment of his prediction to the council. Stephen's own need was fully met in that he saw Jesus at God's right hand, even as today by faith "we see Jesus . . . crowned with glory and honour." The doom of the leaders of Israel, the guiltiest of the guilty, was sealed in that the martyr saw the Son of Man in that place of power.

III. THE BLESSING -- CHRIST'S FRUIT IN HIS MEMBERS

"Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul" (Acts 7:57-58). Their fury knew no bounds. Driven on by their hatred of the name of Jesus and by the knowledge that they were impotent to mar His glory or frustrate His will, they undertook summary judgment on His confessor. With frenzied cry and utter refusal to hear another word, they laid violent hands on Stephen and cast him out to his death. Denying him even the pretense of justice and of trial, they cut off his life with the cruel stones. It was the death which was decreed by the law of Moses for the blasphemer, it was meted out to one of the noblest of the long line of faith. According to the law, as given in Deuteronomy 17:7, the witnesses were required to be foremost in the execution of the death penalty. They had brought the evidence; they must be first to cast the stones. Not content with falsehood, Stephen's accusers added to their infamy by sustaining their witness in the place of stoning. In those solemn moments wherein they stained their lives with innocent blood, they left their garments in the care of a young man called Saul. It is the first time that we hear of this man, who figures so much on the page of Scripture, but whose story is forever woven with that of Stephen.

"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul was consenting unto his death" (Acts 7:59-8:1). In this passage the word "God" is in italics. There is no object stated for the very "calling upon," and the reference is most naturally to the following words. As Paul showed in his greeting to Corinth -- "with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (I Cor. 1:2). -- calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus was the mark of the New Testament Christian. His name was honored, as the name of Jehovah in the Old Testament was honored. "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord [Jehovah] shall be saved" (Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13; Joel 2:32). The conviction of the early church was unmistakable, and attested by Stephen, that in the naming of the Lord Jesus they owned Him as Jehovah. That Pharisees, such as Saul, brought up in the strictest monotheism, should come to adore a once-crucified man as being eternally in the Godhead is evidence that to them His credentials of deity were beyond dispute.

Stephen's words recall those spoken last by the Lord upon the Cross. In unshaken trust, the Lord had commended His spirit to the Father; so did the martyr commit his spirit to the Lord. This again was witness to the deity of Jesus. Then kneeling, Stephen "cried with a loud voice." (This expression, in which the energy of the speaker is gathered up, is used of the Lord Jesus in Matt. 27:50.) The Lord had prayed for those that crucified Him: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Imbued with the same spirit of forgiveness that revealed how truly he was in the mind of Christ, Stephen likewise prayed for his murderers. How precious must this have been to the Lord Jesus, and what fruitage for Him in the life of His saint! Thus with eyes and heart alike occupied with his Lord, Stephen "fell asleep." It was not death, but victory. The Lord Jesus had said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51), and so it was with the martyr. So it is with all who trust Him.

In his vision of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the fragrance of his character, and in his suffering for His sake, Stephen became the pattern believer of this age. His name (Stephan, i.e., crown [stephanos], or garland of victory) pointed to the heavenly destiny held out to all his brethren, including to the measure of their devotion to Him, the crown of glory and honor. Stephen's interpreter was the man whose conversion was the firstfruits of the divine response to his dying prayer. What was concentrated in the last moments of the one was spread out in the years of experience of the other, so that the latter wrote, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body"; and again, "So then death worketh in us, but life in you"; and again, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Cor. 4:10, 12, 18).

What shall meet our gaze as we thus look to the things "not seen?" First, and supremely, we shall behold the glory of our Lord, His unfading triumphs, His exaltation in manhood at God's right hand, His infinite depths of holiness and of love, and the unutterable wonder of His blessed face. We shall see our Father's home, with its many mansions -- all forever open to the children of His love; we shall see the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" wrought for us by the "light affliction" of this present time. Again, we shall behold "the inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Then there is the reward which hands once pierced by cruel nails shall bestow upon lonely toilers from the harvest fields of earth. Moreover, we shall feast our gaze upon the joy of unclouded fellowship with Christ and with the redeemed of the ages. Then there is the occupation of the blest, the holy service wherewith "his servants shall serve him."

To see the face which Stephen saw is to be enabled to live a heavenly life amid earthly care. It is ours with him and with Paul to behold "the glory of God in the face of Christ," and soon the joy of faith shall be swallowed up in the joy of seeing Him as He is.

Present with Thee, oh, Lord Jesus,
Some day this rapture I'll know;
Sweeter than aught of earth's visions,
Passing all bliss here below.

Present with Thee, in Thy glory,
Days of my pilgrimage past;
Down at Thy feet I shall worship,
Prostate before Thee at last.

Present with Thee, my Redeemer,
Because my load Thou didst bear;
I shall adoring behold Thee
Glory ineffable wear.

Present with Thee, in Thy likeness,
Clothed in Thy fitness, not mine;
Gladly Thy loveliness telling,
Owning Thy glory divine.

Present with Thee -- not a shadow
Casting its gloom o'er my heart --
Calmly I'll dwell in love's sunshine,
Nor from Thee ever shall part.

Present with Thee, my Beloved,
This Thy desire toward me,
Even that ever and ever
I should be present with Thee.

--H. C. H.--

Chapter 11 - THE STRENGTH OF THE TOILER - Acts 26 - Paul

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The Light Of Evening - Daniel

  The Companion of the Way

by

H.C. Hewlett

1962

Moody Press

Chicago, Illinois

~ Out of print and in the public domain ~

---

The Light Of Evening - Daniel

(Daniel 10)

I. THE SETTING -- THE UNBLEMISHED YEARS

The story of Daniel is given to us in Scripture in a series of character studies exquisitely drawn. These begin with a youth standing with three companions, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, at the crossroads of life, and making choice of the path of the will of God irrespective of earthly loss (chap. 1). The next three scenes show us the interpreter of dreams and of hard sentences standing before the monarchs of Babylon (chaps. 2, 4-5). Whether as a young man before Nebuchadnezzar, unfolding to him "what shall be in the latter days," or in the vigor of settled manhood, telling him of that which will humble his pride, or as an old man pronouncing Belshazzar's doom, Daniel exemplifies the words of the psalmist that "the secret of the LORD is with them that fear him" (Psa. 25:14).

The closing glimpses of Daniel remind us that the righteous "bring forth fruit in old age" (Psa. 92:14). In his early years, he will have no compromise with idolatry; in the ripeness of age he fears not to kneel and make his prayer to the living God alone. In the royal palace Darius the king spends a miserable and sleepless night; in the lion's den Daniel the Hebrew is at rest in the protecting care of God (Chap. 6). Again, he appears as the intercessor, who with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes confesses the sins of his people, seeks the mercies of God for them, and is answered "about the time of the evening oblation" with the visit of Gabriel and the greeting, "Thou art greatly beloved" (chap. 9). Finally, his yearnings for his people are rewarded by the vision which crowns his days, wherein his eyes beheld the glory of the Lord.

Daniel, like Joseph, the earlier revealer of secrets, exhibited a blameless life. Like him, also, he knew the desolation of being torn in youth from the ties of home and of being a prisoner in a strange land. Both men stood scatheless in temptation and attained to high office in a foreign court. They knew the testing of hatred and the subtler testing of high honor, but neither could be reproached with any sin. Nothing was able to turn them from the stedfastness of their ways or rob them of their insight into the purposes of God for the ultimate blessing of their people. Thus they came to the end of the journey, full of days, and full of honor.

As the sun of his life began to set, a greater Sun rose before Daniel's sight. Throughout the events that crowded his memory there had been manifested the power and faithfulness of God. He had walked alone and yet not alone. Behind the varied scenes of his path the Lord had stood, leading His servant on from strength to strength and ever appreciating the constancy and fidelity of his testimony. As the Lord had promised in Isaiah's day, so He was to Daniel. "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, . . . even to your old age I am he; and... even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isa. 46:3-4). Far from failing His aged servant, He drew even closer to him, till His presence was revealed in surpassing splendor. He had given to Daniel many unfoldings of things to come, but to the last of these He added that which excelled them all, the unveiling of His own majesty.

II. THE REVELATION -- SURPASSING GLORY

"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; . . . In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled" (Dan. 10:1-3). Daniel had lived till the decree of Cyrus had enabled Zerubbabel and his company to return from Babylon to Jerusalem. God had kept His word by the mouth of Jeremiah; He had stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make the necessary decree and had stirred the returning exiles to lay the foundation of His house at Jerusalem. But Daniel had been shown that beyond the commandment for the rebuilding of the city there would be troublous times, that Messiah the Prince would come and be cut off, and that the utmost desolation would befall the city. His exercise concerning Israel deepened till he spent three whole weeks in mourning and fasting. He saw the path of sorrow that lay ahead of Israel, and for their sakes he chastened himself before God.

"And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude" (Dan. 10:4-6). In its details the vision bears close likeness to that given to John in Patmos. The golden girdle, the radiant face, the blazing eyes, the feet like unto gleaming brass, and the voice of incomparable fullness tell of the same glorious person in both scenes. In either case, the sight presented was one of surpassing grandeur. That the Lord's presentation of Himself to Daniel in appearance as a man, though in excelling brightness, should remind so much of that to John after His ascension and glorification in actual manhood, shows the underlying unity of all His unveilings of Himself. While some of His appearings in the Old Testament anticipated the lowly grace of the days of His flesh, the appearance vouchsafed to Daniel pointed forward to His revelation to earth in the glory of His kingdom.

The linen garment, in accordance with the frequent usage of Scripture, indicated the purity of all His ways. He is "the Holy One and the Just" (Acts 3:14). The girt loins proclaimed His ministry as the mighty One, the omnipotent Toiler, whose activities are beautiful with the excellence of Deity, even as the girdle with its fine gold. The body like to the beryl, with its amber light, the face with its intense brilliance, and the eyes as lamps of fire, all told of One who is the brightness of God's glory. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5); and that pure light streams forth unchanged and undiminished in the person of the Son. In the presence of that light nothing is hidden; from the gaze of those all-seeing eyes nothing can be concealed. "O LORD," said the psalmist, "thou hast searched me, and known me . . . If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee" (Psa. 139:1, 11-12). Deep as was the perplexity of Daniel as he considered his people's welfare, all their way was understood by the Lord. No bewilderment lay upon that omniscient mind. The end was sure. In spite of Israel's failure, their conflict would end in peace, and the night of sorrow, in cloudless day.

"And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision: but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength" (Dan. 10:7-8). Upon the prophet's companions there came such a sense of fear that they trembled and fled. God was in the place, though they knew it not. There had been a day when "the earth shook . . . at the presence of God"; how much more should puny men tremble in such a circumstance? But to Daniel the presence was revealed, and he sank to the ground in utter weakness. All his strength was gone. Nothing was left of the personal vigour, the nobility of manhood, which had characterized him. There was only the corruption, the ruin of our poor race.

"Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground" (Dan. 10:9). So overpowered was he by the vision, and by the voice of the Lord, that he lay prostrate, unable to act and unable to think until strength was ministered to him by the touch of an angel's hand. That voice was more than mortal frame could bear, and Daniel lay insensible on the ground. Nor yet could he know the bliss of eternity and exult in the voice like the voice of a multitude -- the voice of Him in whose majestic utterance would be blended the countless expressions of His heart toward each of His redeemed.

III. THE BLESSING -- THE BELOVED

The love with which the Lord looked on His servant by the river Hiddekel was not less than that with which He would look on him in the better country -- the hungry. So the angel was sent to rouse him from his sleep, and to speak of that true love. To his aroused consciousness there came the words of tender greeting, "Daniel, a man greatly beloved." Such was the mind of heaven; such was the Lord's appraisal of His aged servant. All his path had been watched with unremitting care, all his exercise had been valued with unerring wisdom, and all his years had been compassed with unceasing love. Dear to the Lord was that long life of purity and honor, of witness and devotion. Some time before, in the first year of Darius, Daniel had been saluted as the "greatly beloved" (Dan. 9:23), but now his life must be crowned by this token of divine approval.

Roused by this greeting, Daniel stood trembling, to be told that from the first day of his mourning his words had been heard. They had been words which drew forth the succor of Heaven's throne, and the messenger had been sent to him to answer his heart's longing. When Daniel spoke to the angel of the effect of the vision upon him, he was further strengthened, and the message was repeated and amplified. "O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong" (Dan. 10:19). As in the case of John in Patmos, the sight of the glory was followed by the words of comfort, "fear not." There was no cloud between the Lord and His faithful servant. For long years they had walked together, and the vision, so overwhelming in itself, was granted, not because of shortcoming on Daniel's part, but because the unseen Friend of the way would give full answer to the desire of Daniel's heart for the welfare of his people. The purposes of God would not fail. The ministry of intercession is in the current of the mind of God, and the prophet's unselfish prayer for the sinful nation brought the approval manifested in the vision. With such an almighty One overruling in the affairs of men, nought would hinder the fulfillment of every promise concerning Israel.

Once more the "man clothed in linen" is before us in this scene by Hiddekel. "And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished" (Dan. 12:7). The portrait of the Lord in this passage is paralleled by that in Revelation 10, when He appears as a mighty angel, yet in such majesty as only the occupant of the heavenly throne could bear. In both passages is declared His solemn oath that to all the sorrow of those dread days of Jacob's trouble there shall be an end. Dark will be the night, but the coming in glory of the King of Israel, the King of Kings, the King in His beauty, will bring the longed-for day.

Daniel's prayer was answered, his work was done, and his path was complete. The record ceases, but without mention of the withdrawing of the presence. Daniel is last seen in the wonder of its revelation. Long since he has left the scenes of his toil, and now he is at home with the Lord. Soon, not in mortal weakness, but robed in the dignity and power of the resurrection body, he shall walk with the Lord and rejoice evermore in communion face to face. The experience vouchsafed to him in his last years shall be his perpetual portion. Forever beloved, he shall gaze without fear on that transcendent face, and listen to the music of that excelling voice.

Chapter 10 - THE FACE THAT WELCOMED - Acts 7 - Stephen

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The Companion In The Fire - Three Hebrews

  The Companion of the Way

by

H.C. Hewlett

1962

Moody Press

Chicago, Illinois

~ Out of print and in the public domain ~

---

The Companion In The Fire - Three Hebrews

(Daniel 3)

I. THE SETTING -- THE DAUNTLESS THREE

Among the captives taken from Judah to Babylon in the days of Jeconiah were a number of youths of noble birth. The names of four of these are recorded in Scripture with special honor. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah left for all who should follow in the path of faith the lesson that there are no days when it is too dark for God to work and no circumstances in which He cannot sustain those who trust in Him. Life must have been desolate indeed when the gates of Babylon closed upon the weary captives. Involved in the tragedy that had befallen their nation for its sins, yet themselves of blameless character, these Hebrew youths found themselves attached to a court marked by pride, cruelty, and all the defiling influences of idolatry. Even their names were changed, and there were imposed on them new names associated with the worship of the false gods of Babylon. The tide ran swiftly against their spiritual life. Every factor of their environment was calculated to dim the memories of their upbringing and to efface from their hearts their earliest loyalties.

Challenged by the insidious temptation to partake of the king's meat and thus to acquiesce in offering to idols, they did not falter in their allegiance to the God of their fathers, to the One who had said, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them" (Exo. 20:3, 5). Preferring loss to defilement, and counting the fear of the Lord more precious than life itself, they resisted the temptation and were at last vindicated in their stand by the overruling care of God. Centuries earlier, He had said to His people, "Them that honour me I will honour" (I Sam. 2:30). The truth of this faithful word was clearly evidenced in the story of these young men. God gave them such knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom that they won the approval of the king. After the unfolding of the dream of the great image, Daniel was made ruler over the whole province of Babylon. His three friends, now known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were set over the affairs of the province. They were among the few who could be trusted by God with high positions in the affairs of earth. Proud Babylon is no more, and the scenes of its glory have long since been a desolate waste, but the four exiles who showed such fidelity have honorable place among the great cloud of witnesses by which we are compassed about in the heavenward way.

More than twenty years passed, and the proud yet fertile mind of Nebuchadnezzar conceived a scheme for the unifying of his great empire. Its far-flung provinces lay secure in his dominion, but he sought control not only over the bodies but also over the souls of men. He built an image of gold, set this colossus in the plain of Dura, and ordered all who were prominent in rule throughout his territories to attend the dedication of the image and bow before it in worship (Dan. 3:1-7). Of all forms of tyranny none are more cruel or relentless than those which are found in the religious sphere.

Nebuchadnezzar attempted to enforce the spiritual despotism of a state religion, and allowed no alternatives to obedience save a terrifying death. If all the dignitaries of state prostrated themselves before the image of gold, itself the visible representation of the power and wealth of the kingdom over which he ruled as absolute monarch, then they and all their people would be subject to him in every domain of life -- physical, intellectual, and spiritual. The human personality would be enslaved to the impersonal state, and, worst of all, it would be denied the exercise of that homage of the creature for the Creator which is at once the necessary law of its being and yet the noblest freedom.

Faced with such a situation, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego manifested the same courage which had marked them in earlier days. To them, compromise was impossible. There could be nothing in common between the worship of the living God and the worship of an idol. As in a day still to come, when earth shall know the sway of its last and most awful tyrant, and when the choice will be clear-cut between the worship of God, with the threat of physical death on the one hand, and the worship of the beast and his image (cf. Rev. 14:6-11), so it was for the three Hebrews. The law of God was still true for them. They could not bow to any image. Better to them was a cruel death than such dishonor to their faith, and disloyalty to their God.

Watched relentlessly as the result of the envy of certain Chaldeans, they were accused to Nebuchadnezzar of flouting his decree. To the king's pride it was so incredible that anyone should disobey him that in rage and fury he sent for the fearless three and demanded of them, "Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king" (Dan. 3:13). Then, having renewed his threat of the fiery furnace, he flaunted his impiety in the words, "Who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Dan. 3:15).

Similar words had been spoken by another monarch. In the days of Hezekiah, Sennacherib the Assyrian had said, "No god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?" (II Chron. 32:15). God had heard the prayer of Hezekiah and of Isaiah the prophet, and He had saved His people from their peril. "The angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand" (II Kings 19:35).

Not by such judgment upon the king, but nevertheless by the intervention of the same One, "the angel of the LORD," did God deliver His servants from the fiery death. First, however, their testimony was given to His power to save, and their faith was tested to the utmost.

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king, But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Dan. 3:16-18). Full well they knew that it was not a case that might be made the subject of petition; they knew the man before whom they stood and that without hesitation he would mete out the threatened doom. They knew that they could do nought but refuse his command. Their path had been clear to them throughout the events leading up to that moment of crisis. But they knew also that though Nebuchadnezzar was king of kings (see Dan. 2:37), it was only by the sovereign will of the God of Heaven that he had received the kingdom. The king was powerful, but God was all-powerful.

Their hearts were at rest with a calm which this world could not give. On the one hand, God was certainly able to deliver them; on the other, if He were pleased to call them through death from the toil of earth, they would submit to His perfect will. He had promised, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; . . . when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee" (Isa. 43:2). No malice of man could hinder the fulfillment of the promise of their God. Upon His presence they relied; He would not fail them, nor forsake them, whether in life or in death. With this confidence, therefore, they said to the king, "He will deliver us out of thine hand."

Filled with fury, till his very face was distorted, Nebuchadnezzar gave vent to his anger by the utterly needless order that the furnace be heated seven times more than usual, an act whose only result was to bring about the destruction of the mighty men who carried out his sentence on the three Hebrews. There is no rage like that which is baffled by the serene constancy of its intended victims. Goaded by his frenzy, the king hastened the matter, and his men paid the price for his folly. The three confessors were bound in their full attire and cast into the midst of the furnace. Every circumstance attendant on their ordeal was made to minister to the exhibition of the power of God; even their garments bore their part in the triumphant witness. Doubtless the instigators of the matter were full of satisfaction at the apparent removal of the Hebrews from their high office, but their joy was short-lived.

II. THE REVELATION -- MORE THAN CONQUERORS

"And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace" (Dan. 3:23). They were now past all mortal aid. God had permitted this extremity to show that their deliverance was from Him -- and Him alone. Before they were cast into the furnace, it was in Nebuchadnezzar's power to do what he pleased, whether to send them to the fire or to withhold them from it. But once they had passed within the furnace, the proud king could do nothing. He could watch, but was powerless to intervene. He could not even save his own mighty men from the fierceness of the flame. He must learn that the end of human prowess marks but the beginning of divine strength. God is not bound by the limitations of His creatures; their puny resources are as nothing to His infinite greatness.

"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Dan. 3:24-25). Never had the king been so amazed. No wonder of his career, whether of brilliant conquest or of royal achievement, could stir his heart with the emotion which he now betrayed. The fire to which he had condemned the three who had dared to defy him had but destroyed their bonds. They walked at liberty in the flame, as though at home in its embrace. Its terrors had gone, and its blaze enwrapped them as with an atmosphere of glory.

Moreover, they were not alone. With them there walked One whom the startled king described as like in form to the Son of God. Clearly the presence of this One was the secret of their deliverance. The king beheld the transcendent form and the majestic mien which proclaimed Him to be no mortal but a being from Heaven. We would not expect the king to imply by his words such an appreciation of the person of this wondrous visitant as they convey to us. He was but a heathen and acknowledged many supposed deities, even as later in life he spoke to Daniel of "the holy gods" (Dan. 4:9). Not till the restoration of his reason (Daniel 4:34) did he seem to attain to the knowledge of the one most high God. While his words spoken as he gazed into the furnace would be capable on heathen lips of the sense, "the son of God," it is nevertheless possible that in the strong emotion of the moment, as was certainly the case immediately after when he addressed the three Hebrews as "servants of the most high God," he spoke only of their God. But whatever his degrees of perception of these things, his words were overruled to express, in the speech of those who know the one true God, the most sublime fact. It was indeed the Son of God who walked with the three in the fire.

It is entirely in accordance with the promise, "I will be with thee" (Isa. 43:2), and the consistent teaching of Scripture touching the theophanies to recognize in the One who appeared in the fire the very Son of God, the Deliverer of His people. The circumstances of His appearance with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, illustrate delightfully the lesson of Romans 8:37. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." Had the three been miraculously preserved in the furnace, yet without any sign of the divine presence, they would certainly have been conquerors. But the surpassing wonder of their experience was not their deliverance, viewed in itself, but rather the companionship of their Lord in the furnace. In the added marvel of this sacred fellowship they were "more than conquerors." So was it in Paul's day. So has it been with all who have known amidst their trials the joy of walking with the Son of God.

What was new in the path of the three was not the fact of the Lord's presence, but rather its manifestation. He had walked with them unseen throughout their years of testimony, and it was this which was the secret of their courage in the face of such dire peril. He had ever been with them to guard and to strengthen. All that the fire could do was to make visible, even to the sight of a heathen king, the presence that was already with them. How often in history have persecutors been compelled to own that their victims had a resource which they could not take from them, an unseen spring of cheer that defied all their hatred and their cruelties!

With the vast majority of the people of God, the Friend and Guide of the long road of life has been real only to the vision of faith. With the mortal eye that have braved every danger, and trusted God in the last breath. Some indeed "quenched the violence of fire," but "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection" (Heb. 11:34-35). Stephen saw his Lord before he was dragged to the place of death and, serene in that heavenly vision, fell asleep under the weight of the cruel stones: others have borne like suffering and have seen the glorious face only when their eyes had closed to this scene. Never, however, has the fact of the divine presence ceased; it has been constant through every vicissitude of life.

III. THE BLESSING -- THE TRIUMPHANT TESTIMONY

"Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them" (Dan. 3:26-27). So complete was the vindication of the stand of the Hebrews that they were saluted of the king before they left the furnace by the title "servants of the most high God." Theirs was a service and a nobility surpassing that of the courtiers who thronged around the king. His prince and governors bowed at his word; the three owned a higher allegiance than that belonging to any earthly potentate. Around them gathered all the great men of Babylon, who marveled to see that the fire had no power either on the persons of the three Hebrews or on their garments. There was not even the smell of fire about them to tell of their ordeal. How often must these same dignitaries have recounted to their associates and to their families in the years that followed the story of this amazing scene, of the three who worshipped a God whom they themselves had not known, and of the mighty power of that great God! Thus the fame of the God of Israel would spread far and wide in a testimony with consequences which cannot be estimated.

"They have no hurt," said Nebuchadnezzar, and his princes saw that not a hair of their head was singed. "I give unto you power . . . over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you," said the Son of God to His disciples (Luke 10:19). How true it is that in the path of the will of God there is nought that can hurt His people! Amid the trials and sorrows of life they walk unscathed, and from their experience in trial and from the companionship of the Lord Jesus they receive eternal good. Only sin can hurt them, marring their fellowship with their Lord, vitiating their capacities for service, and wounding their own souls. However deep the sufferings of His martyrs, not they but their persecutors are hurt. Not for nought does the Lord speak to His tried ones, "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11).

"Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God . . . there is no other God that can deliver after this sort" (Dan. 3:28-29). Could Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego have foreseen as they made their choice to be true to their God whatever the cost that its sequel would be a doxology from the lips of the greatest of all Gentile monarchs? Could they have known, in those moments when they stood alone in the plain of Dura and all others were bowed in idol worship, that ere many hours were passed it should be an offence, binding upon all people in the empire of Babylon, to speak anything amiss against their God, the God of deliverance? What a tribute it was to their faithful witness and to Him who maketh the wrath of man to praise Him! (Psa. 76:10).

When the records of the sustaining grace of the centuries are all complete, then lonely road and fiery trial shall yield their part to that great song of praise the gladness of which shall never cease. The road will be ended, and the trial long past, but the Lord who walked with His own will company with them forever, and they shall walk with Him not in the flame of trial but in the blaze of His glory.

Chapter 9 - THE LIGHT OF EVENING - Daniel 10 - Daniel

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